The little town of Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan has come up with a great idea to save a part of the Convent of Jesus and Mary, a National Historic Site and heritage landmark, and our very own artist, Lucy Wallace, has a special part in it!
After the nuns left Gravelbourg’s Convent of Jesus and Mary, it was used as the town’s secular elementary and high school up until 2016. Lucy attended grades 1-10 in the convent. The convent’s chapel (a smaller separate building from the main convent) was where special religious events attached to the convent took place. Lucy remembers the chapel as having such a serene atmosphere that the school kids didn’t act out when attending those special events…a small miracle in itself!
The convent is no longer in use as the upkeep and general maintenance of the building became too expensive and expansive. Repair is beyond the means of the town, so its future is uncertain. However, the chapel is being transformed – into an art gallery!!!
The person spearheading the work on the chapel heard about Lucy’s art work from people in her hometown who follow Lucy on Facebook. He approached Lucy, asking to buy some of her paintings for the collection they want to build for the gallery. Of course, Lucy accepted! Lucy’s paintings will be in a permanent collection in the chapel, along with several restored old paintings, many of which were previously in the convent.
In the midst of Lucy’s excitement about the Chapel being turned into an art gallery is one regret. Her father, who died five years ago, “was always a huge supporter of my artistic efforts as a kid and beyond. I wish he had lived long enough to see my paintings hanging in the chapel.”
Congratulations, Lucy. We are so happy for you, and proud of you!
Photographs of the Chapel of the former Gravelbourg Couvent Jésus Marie posted with the kind permission of Bouvier Photography email:bouvierphotography@gmail.com Website:http://bouvierphotography.com
If you are interested to see more of Lucy Wallace’s art, please contact her at lpwallac@telus.net
Arrowsmith FCA 